By 謝忠理 on Thursday, 12 October 2023
Category: 托福口說

BBC 6 分鐘英語—Medicine or myth? 醫學還是神話?

對大部分的人來說,蘑菇的效用在於當作食物,搭配其他食材,或是自己擔任主角,成為餐桌上美味的一道菜。但是蘑菇據稱還有做為藥物的效果,真的如此嗎?一起來聽聽 BBC 6 分鐘英語對這個話題的討論。

Medicine or myth? 醫學還是神話?

BBC 6 分鐘英語在 2023 年 10 月 12 日播出的節目 中討論的是蘑菇是否具有藥物的效果。

蘑菇在歷史上一直被用作藥物,如今藥用蘑菇產業已成為一門大生意。但有多少科學證據證明它們的益處呢?BBC 6 分鐘英語的主持人尼爾和貝絲將討論蘑菇是否具有療效的話題。同時和往常一樣,節目主持人也會教導聽眾一些相關詞彙與表達方式。

本周的問題

無論是植物還是動物,蘑菇都是神秘而神奇的東西。但以下關於蘑菇的說法中,哪一個是真的?是
a) 大多數蘑菇有毒?
b) 有些蘑菇會飛?
c) 有些蘑菇會在黑暗中發光?

詞彙

having a moment 風靡一時
在某一特定時期非常流行或時髦

claim 說法
聲明某事是真實的或事實,儘管無法證明,別人也可能不相信。

overblown 誇大
誇大,使其看起來比實際情況更大或更重要

ancient wisdom 古代智慧
基督教之前的知識、哲學和信仰

give (something) a go 試一試
試著做一件事,看看自己是否喜歡

intrigued 好奇
對不尋常或神秘的事物非常感興趣,因此想瞭解更多。

中英文稿謄本

BBC 6 minute English – Medicine or myth?

點此看英文原稿

Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

Beth
And I’m Beth. Do the names, 'Lion’s Mane', or, 'Turkey Tail', mean anything to you, Neil?

Neil
Lion’s Mane and Turkey Tail? Sounds like things you might find in the zoo!

Beth
Ha, good guess! But they’re actually the names of mushrooms. Lion’s Mane is a white hairy mushroom found across Asia, and Turkey Tail is a brown fan-shaped fungus which looks a bit like… well, a turkey’s tail! But if you haven’t already heard these names you probably will soon, because these mushrooms are becoming popular as medicine.

Neil
Throughout history our ancestors used mushrooms as food, but also as medicine for physical problems and mental illnesses like depression. In the 21st century, this medicine is being rediscovered and marketed. Today, mushrooms are big business. In 2021, the global medicinal mushroom market was valued at 26 billion dollars and growing.

Beth
But how real are the supposed health benefits of mushrooms? In this programme we’ll be finding out, along with some useful new vocabulary. 

Neil
But first, I have a question for you, Beth. Neither plant, nor animal, mushrooms are mysterious and amazing things. But which of the following statements about mushrooms is actually true?
a)    Most mushrooms are poisonous?
b)    Some mushrooms can fly? or,
c)    Some mushrooms glow in the dark?

Beth
I think some mushrooms glow in the dark.

Neil
OK, Beth, we'll find out if that’s true at the end of the programme. Scientific researcher, Dr Emily Leeming, has been studying the medicinal properties of mushrooms for King's College, London. She shared her discoveries with, Sheila Dillon, presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme, The Food Chain:

Dr Emily Leeming
So, I think these mushrooms are very much having a moment right now, they're kind of labelled as ‘super brain drugs’, so things are gonna potentially help with lessening anxiety, improving potentially depression. It’s very much about these mind benefits that we're seeing the labels on the claims getting put out there.

Sheila Dillon
What do you think of those claims?

Dr Emily Leeming
I think that at the moment they seem to be quite overblown. We don't have as much evidence on humans at all, it's very limited.

Beth
Dr Leeming says that right now medicinal mushrooms are having a moment. If something is having a moment, it’s very popular or fashionable at a particular time.

Neil
Mushrooms are popular due to the claims about what they can do, for example, reduce depression. A claim is a statement that something is true, although it cannot be proved and others might not believe it. Dr Leeming thinks some of the claims made about mushrooms are overblown, exaggerated to seem more significant than they really are.

Beth
The problem is that to sell something as medicine, you need scientific proof of its benefits. You might feel less stressed after drinking chamomile tea, but that doesn’t mean you can legally call chamomile a ‘medicine’, even though it’s been used for centuries to help people relax.

Neil
However, that hasn’t discouraged many from experimenting, especially young people. Emma Clifford works for food research organisation, Mintel. Here, she discusses young people’s attitude towards mushrooms for BBC Radio 4 programme, The Food Chain:

Emma Clifford 
Lots of people absolutely want there to be scientific proof for health claims on food and drink because there still is a fair amount of scepticism, distrust, and general confusion around functionality. However, I also think that for many consumers, the medicinal properties of certain ingredients, based on natural and holistic ancient wisdom, may be just as compelling, if not more so, than knowledge based on modern science and clinical trials, and I think many people, young people in particular, they’re just really intrigued to give these ingredients a go.

Beth
People want scientific evidence that what they are taking is good for them, but many are also convinced by ancient wisdom, a phrase referring to knowledge, philosophy and beliefs that existed before the arrival of Christianity in Europe. Ancient knowledge about medicinal plants has been kept alive, and some trust this wisdom more than modern medicine.

Neil
Young people are especially prepared to give mushrooms a go. If you give something a go, you try doing something to see if you like it. They are intrigued about mushrooms – they find them interesting and want to know more… which is not surprising given some of the amazing things mushrooms can do.

Beth
I think it’s time to reveal the answer to your question, Neil. I guessed one of the amazing things some mushrooms can do is glow in the dark.

Neil
That was, Beth, the correct answer! About 80 species of fungi are bioluminescent, meaning they really do glow in the dark! OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this programme starting with having a moment, a phrase meaning to be popular or fashionable at a particular time.

Beth
claim is a statement that something is true or a fact, although it cannot be proved and others might not believe it.

Neil
The adjective overblown means exaggerated to seem bigger or more important than it really is.

Beth
In Britain, the phrase ancient wisdom describes Pagan knowledge, philosophy and beliefs that existed before Christianity.

Neil
If you give something a go, you try doing something to see if you like it.

Beth
And finally, when someone is intrigued by something strange or mysterious, they’re very interested and want to know more. Join us next time for more new useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!

Neil
Bye! 

廣播原稿中文翻譯有兩個目的。首先是幫助聽力有困難的讀者能夠快速了解原文的意思。而更重要的原因是,提供給練習英語口語表達的讀者訓練的素材。

由於每個人的知識範疇各不相同,因此碰到超出自己專長的領域,常常會啞口無言,無話可說。這對練習英語表達是一項非常難以克服的障礙。所以參考 6 分鐘英語的對白稿,既可以讓自我練習英語對話時有貼切適當的素材,同時也能順便學些道地的表達方式,實是一舉數得。

使用上,可以在聽完一、兩次原始廣播之後,試著一邊看中文謄本,一邊流利、正確地用英語說出文中的內容。多次練習之後,未來自然能夠在碰到同樣主題時與人侃侃而談。

BBC 6 分鐘英語 – 醫學還是神話?

點此看中文翻譯

尼爾
您好。這裡是 BBC 學習英語的六分鐘英語。我是尼爾。

貝絲
我叫貝絲 尼爾,你對「獅鬃」和「火雞尾」這兩個名字有印象嗎?

尼爾
獅鬃和火雞尾?聽起來像是動物園裡的東西!

貝絲
哈,猜得不錯!但它們其實是蘑菇的名字。獅鬃菇是一種遍佈亞洲的白色多毛蘑菇,火雞尾則是一種棕色扇形真菌,看起來有點像……嗯,火雞的尾巴!不過,如果您還沒聽說過這些名字,也許很快就會知道了,因為這些蘑菇正逐漸成為流行的藥物。

尼爾
在歷史上,我們的祖先曾將蘑菇作為食物,但同時也作為藥物來治療身體問題和抑鬱症等精神疾病。在 21 世紀,這種藥物被重新發現並推向市場。如今,蘑菇已成為一門大生意。2021 年,全球藥用蘑菇市場價值達 260 億美元,而且還在不斷增長。

貝絲
但是,蘑菇對健康的所謂益處到底有多真?在本節目中,我們將通過一些有用的新詞彙一探究竟。

尼爾
首先,我有一個問題要問你,貝絲。無論是植物還是動物,蘑菇都是神秘而神奇的東西。但是,關於蘑菇,以下哪種說法是正確的?
a) 大多數蘑菇有毒?
b) 有些蘑菇會飛?
c) 有些蘑菇會在黑暗中發光?

貝絲
我認為有些蘑菇會在黑暗中發光。

尼爾
好的,貝絲,我們會在節目最後發現這是否屬實。科學研究員艾米麗·利明(Emily Leeming)博士一直在為倫敦國王學院研究蘑菇的藥用價值。她與 BBC 廣播 4 台節目《食物鏈》的主持人希拉·狄龍(Sheila Dillon)分享了她的發現:

艾米麗·利明博士
我認為這些蘑菇現在非常流行,它們被稱為「超級大腦藥物」,因此有可能幫助減輕焦慮,改善潛在的抑鬱症。我們現在看到的標籤上的說法都是關於這些對大腦的益處。

希拉·狄龍
你怎麼看這些說法?

艾米麗·利明博士
我認為目前這些說法似乎被誇大了。我們在人類身上沒有那麼多證據,非常有限。

貝絲
利明博士說,現在藥用蘑菇正處於風口浪尖。如果某樣東西正處於風口浪尖,那麼它在某個特定時期就會非常流行或時髦。

尼爾
蘑菇之所以流行,是因為有人聲稱它們能起到什麼作用,例如減輕抑鬱。聲稱是一種陳述,說明某件事情是真實的,儘管它無法得到證實,其他人也可能不相信它。利明博士認為,關於蘑菇的一些說法過於誇張,誇大了蘑菇的作用,使其看起來比實際作用更重要。

貝絲
問題在於,要把某種東西作為藥品出售,你需要科學證據來證明它的益處。喝了甘菊茶後,你可能會感覺壓力減輕了,但這並不意味著你可以合法地將甘菊稱為「藥物」,儘管幾個世紀以來它一直被用來幫助人們放鬆。

尼爾
然而,這並沒有阻止許多人,尤其是年輕人嘗試甘菊茶。艾瑪·克利福德(Emma Clifford)在食品研究機構 Mintel 工作。在這裡,她為 BBC 廣播 4 台的節目《食物鏈》討論了年輕人對蘑菇的態度:

艾瑪·克利福德
很多人都希望食品和飲料的健康聲明能夠有科學依據,因為在功能性方面仍然存在著相當程度的懷疑、不信任和普遍困惑。不過,我也認為,對許多消費者來說,某些成分的藥用特性是基於自然和整體的古老智慧,可能與基於現代科學和臨床試驗的知識一樣有說服力,甚至更有說服力。我想很多人,尤其是年輕人,都很好奇嘗試一下這些成分。

貝絲
人們需要科學證據來證明他們服用的東西對他們有益,但許多人也被古代智慧所折服,古代智慧指的是基督教傳入歐洲之前的知識、哲學和信仰。關於藥用植物的古老知識一直流傳至今,有些人對這些智慧的信任超過了對現代醫學的信任。

尼爾
年輕人特別喜歡嘗試蘑菇。如果你想試一試,你就會嘗試做一些事情,看看自己是否喜歡。他們對蘑菇很感興趣—他們覺得蘑菇很有趣,想知道更多……鑒於蘑菇的一些神奇功效,這並不奇怪。

貝絲
我想是時候揭曉你問題的答案了,尼爾。我猜有些蘑菇能做的神奇事情之一就是在黑暗中發光。

尼爾
貝絲,這是正確答案!大約有 80 種真菌具有生物發光特性,也就是說,它們真的能在黑暗中發光!好了,讓我們從 having a moment 開始,回顧一下我們在本節目中學到的詞彙。

貝絲
聲稱是指某件事情是真實的或事實的陳述,儘管它無法被證明,別人也可能不相信它。

尼爾
形容詞overblown的意思是誇大,看起來比實際更大或更重要。

貝絲
在英國,古代智慧一詞指的是基督教之前的異教知識、哲學和信仰。

尼爾
如果你想試一試,你就會嘗試去做某件事情,看看你是否喜歡它。

貝絲
最後,當一個人被奇怪或神秘的事物所吸引時,他就會非常感興趣並想知道更多。下一次,我們將在六分鐘英語為您帶來更多有用的新詞彙。再見!

尼爾
再見!

雅思口說密集速成

從入門到精通 密集系列教學 實體/雲端/一對一

Related Posts

Leave Comments